Mining planer with adjustably positioned cutting means



W. HEYER March 21, 1967 MINING PLANER WITH ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED CUTTING MEANS Filed Nov. 29, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 III 1 I INVENTOR WILLY HEYER March 21, 1967 w. HEYER 3,310,346

MINING PLANER WITH ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED CUTTING MEANS Filed Nov. 29, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILLY HEYER March 21, 1967 w. HEYER 3,310,346

MINING PLANER WITH ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED CUTTING MEANS Filed Nov. 29, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR WILLY HEYER March 21, 1967 w. HEYER 3,310,346

MINING PLANER WITH ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED CUTTING MEANS Filed Nov. 29, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Fig. /4

INVENTOP WILLY HEYER United States Pate-111:0

3,310,346 MENING PLANER WITH ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED CUTTING MEANS Willy Heyer, Bochum-Gerthe, Germany, assignor to Gewerkschaft Eisenhiitte Westfalia, Wethmar, near Lunen, Westphalia, Germany Filed Nov. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 510,410 Claims priority, application Germany, June 19, 1963, G 37,988; Nov. 27, 1964, G 42,121; Dec. 2, 1964, G 42,157; Dec. 12, 1964, G 42,260

40 Claims. (Cl. 299-34) This is a continuation-in-part of copending parent application, Ser. No. 367,380, filed May 14, 1964, and now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a mining planer with adjustably positioned cutting means, and more particularly a mining planer having lower level base means and upper level cutting means adjustably secured to the base means and usable in extracting mineral from a mine face, such as a coal seam of great height or thickness, by planing operations in which the mining planer is arranged for longitudinal movement back and forth along the mine face, preferably on a guide means, such as a mining conveyor, disposed alongside the mine face being worked, and advanceable preferably automatically toward the mine face to maintain the mining planer in proper extractive alignment with the mine face.

In the extraction of mineral, such as coal, from a mine face, a mining planer is normally utilized which is mounted on a mining conveyor, such a a single chain or double chain scraper conveyor disposed alongside the mine face being worked, with the mining planer being movable longitudinally on guide means of the conveyor permitting the cutting tools carried by the planer to extractively engage the mine face and dig out the mineral, such as coal. The coal or other mineral is chipped or pared from the mine face and then more or less automatically loaded onto the mining conveyor due to the plow-shape of the mining planer utilized.

However, difiiculties are often encountered where the coal seam has a relatively great thickness or height, such as perhaps 24 meters or more, inasmuch as the coal dropping down from the middle and upper parts of the seam easily breaks off and falls in very large pieces which drop onto the conveyor with considerable force. The force of the dropping lumps or blocks of coal or other mineral depends on not only the specific weight of the material being mined but also the height from which the loosened pieces of coal must drop in order to reach the conveyor.

It will be realized that the conveyor must be placed as close to the mine face as possible to prevent the coal being extracted, or that coal which breaks off and falls, from landing and from remaining in the alley area between the mine face and the conveyor. This would result in the need for cumbersome and costly recovery operations, especially with respect to manpower, in order to load, perhaps manually, the mis-directed coal onto the conveyor so that the same could be removed from the site of mining operations. Normally, the arrangement of the conveyor and the planer mounted for longitudinal movement therealong will be such that the planer will conveniently force all coal landing between the mine face and the conveyor onto the conveyor.

Nevertheless, due to the height of the great seams which must be worked, serious danger is caused to the workmen in the mineway at the off side of the arrangement, i.e. on the side of the conveyor remote from the mine face, due to the over-shooting of the large chunks of coal falling from the upper portions of the great seams, i.e. with respect to the conveyor. These chunks of coal ice or other mineral which fall beyond the conveyor on the off side must be loaded onto the conveyor, and this, of course, will entail equally costly operations as aforesaid. Specifically, such coal is usually shoveled by hand onto the conveyor, and understandably this hard, manual, and time-consuming work constitutes a considerable obstacle to an acceptable economy of operating a mine. In any case, it will be appreciated that where considerable amounts of coal fall into the waste material which generally occupies the area on the off side of the conveyor, great losses of coal occur as a further threat to the economy of the mining operation, inasmuch as great amounts of time and effort would be required to separate the recoverable coal from the waste material or gangue which may be disposed close to the actual mine face being worked.

It is known in the prior art to furnish mining planers for the extraction of minerals, such as coal, wherein such planers include roof cutters positioned for cutting the top coal or roof coal in such a way that it will drop onto the conveyor as the mining planer is conducted along the mine face. Where seams of great thickness or height are encountered, however, the usual mining planers equipped with such roof cutters do not suffice to prevent the roof coal from over-hanging the lower portions being extracted, as the seams are too high to be serviced adequately by the normal roof cutters available. Accordingly, a ceiling of comparatively loose and dangerous roof coal will extend more or less far beyond the longitudinal mine face area or planer alley being worked and sometimes such loosened roof coal will extend even beyond the roadway or guideway itself. As a practical matter, it is not possible to construct the mining conveyor so wide that all of the loosened-coal will fall immediately onto the conveyor, nor to provide the conveyor with appropriately shaped extension plates in such a manner that an effective widening of the conveyor range would occur. Neither is it possible to shift the conveyor itself always directly against the coal face being worked as, on the one hand, this would interfere with the loading onto the conveyor in the desired manner of the coal which has just been extracted, especially that situated at the mine floor area in question, and, on the other hand, this would also interfere with the desired presence of guiding means disposed on the mine face side of the conveyor which are necessary for guiding the mining planer along the conveyor.

Mining conveyors of the type often used in connection with mining planers for extracting minerals, such as coal, are disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,745,651 and US. Patent 2,691,514, for example, and these are normally urged against the mine face by urging cylinders or shifting cylinders transversely disposed with respect to the mine face and in abutting disposition with the off side of the mining conveyor. On the side of the conveyor adjacent the mine face, on the other hand, suitable guide means are usually provided for mounting the mining planer to permit the same to be conducted longitudinally back and forth along the mine face in extractive engagement therewith.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of previous mining planar arrangements, especially with respect to the extraction or Winning of coalor other mineral from mine faces of great height, represented by coal seams, for example, or 24 meters or more in thickness.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mining planer movable longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for the extraction of mineral therefrom which includes adjustably positioned roof cutting means which may be used, if desired, for extracting 3 the upper portion of a coal seam of great height within a given range, separately from the extraction of the remaining lower portion of such seam as will be carried out normally with the use of a base planer carrying cutting means appropriate for its height of operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mining planer arrangement so that the upper portion of a great seam of coal may be mined separately from the lower portion thereof in an economic way and such that the upper coal will fall directly onto the conveyor in the desired way and such that there will be essentially no adverse mixing of the desired valuable coal components with the waste material which may be disposed adjacent the conveyor in the area being worked.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an arrangement and method of operating a mining planer device with no danger to the operating personnel from large chunks of upper seam coal falling uncontrollably beyond the conveyor.

It is another object of the present invention to carry out the extraction of mineral from a mine face having a seam of great thickness or height whereby the upper portions thereof will be extracted so as to form a surface or ledge slanting downwardly and outwardly from the mine face interior toward the conveyor to assist in the controlled loading of the mineral onto the conveyor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for extracting mineral from a mine face in the upper portion of a seam of great thickness in a series of successive short passes in one direction of extractive engagement whereby to produce an S-shaped cut in the coal face in order to attain in increments a controlled removal of the upper portion of the great seam without danger to the operating personnel while permitting the arrangement at spaced, longitudinal intervals along the mine face of extended roof supports.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mining arrangement of the foregoing type in which the mining planer is maintained under positive tension against the mine face being worked especially at the upper portion thereof to achieve maximum extraction of mineral in the upper portion of the great seam and without substantial' resistance caused by the frictional engagement of the lower portion of the mining planer with the adjacent lower portion of the mine face which is next to be extracted.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a mining arrangement of the foregoing type in which interchangeable parts may be provided to change the range of the cutting means with respect to the operative engagement of such cutting means with the upper portion of the mine face being worked.

It is still another object of the present invention to mount operatively the cutting means on the base means by way of pin means and cooperating pin receiving means and/or by way of a piston-cylinder arrangement, such means being considered the adjustable securing means of the invention.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide the base means in the form of a pair of lower base members spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and articulatedly interconnected by an upper base member, preferably with the center of gravity of the upper base member being forward of that of the lower base members in the operative direction in question, such upper base member being preferably tilted out of the normal longitudinal plane of the lower base members.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide the cutting means in the form of a boom means which is secured to the base means by adjustable securing means operative to displace axially such boom means with respect to the base means, at least in a horizontal direction, and/or to displace rotatably the boom means with respect to the base means, such boom means being alternatively mounted in a horizontal plane or in a plane inclined with respect to the horizontal, such as a plane inclined toward the mine face or away from the mine face with appropriate change in the range of operative engagement of the cutting tools with the mine face.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a particular boom means construction, adjustably positioned on the base means by the securing means so as to permit the cutting means on the boom means to engage comparatively hard material such as rock or pyrites whereby to crush and break up such layer from above or below, whereupon the adjacent mineral seam may be further extracted more readily and without admixing disadvantageously the valuable mineral extracted with the unwanted rock extracted.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the within specification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal end view of a mining planer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention showing conventional aspects including the extractive engagement of the lower portion of the mine face in the usual way and the positioning of a mining conveyor at the off side of the planer, i.e. remote from the mine face;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 but including an upper level cutting means adjustably positioned on the base means of the planer arrangement, whereby to extractively engage the upper level of a great seam of coal or other mineral in the mine face;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view similar to that shown in FIG. 2 but illustrating the positional adjustment of the upper level cutting means and the inclusion of the drive cable for conducting the planer back and forth along the mine face, whereby such drive cable may keep the upper level cutting means in positive alignment with the coal face;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view similar to that shown in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 2, but illustrating the maximum positioning of a particular upper level cutting means and the alternate arrangement of the drive cable to efiect positive alignment of the upper level cutting means with the corresponding upper portion of the great seam;

FIG. 5 is a schematic lateral view of an alternate embodiment of a planer arrangement in accordance with the invention utilizing an upper level cutting means gradually adjustable in its effective length;

FIG. 6 is a schematic lateral view of a further embodiment of a planar arrangement in accordance with the invention utilizing a pivotable upper level cutting means capable of producing in increments an S-shaped cut in the upper level mine face being worked;

FIG. 6a is an enlarged schematic view of a pistoncylinder arrangement similar to that used in FIG. 6, in which a throttle valve is contained in the piston;

FIG. 7 is a schematic lateral view of a further embodiment of a planer arrangement in accordance with the invention utilizing a pair of spaced apart base members articulatedly interconnected via an upper base member situated thereabove and therebetween, the upper level cutting means being positioned on the upper portion of the upper base member;

FIG. 8 is a schematic longitudinal end view of .the construction shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 with the adjacent parts of the base means being illustrated in exploded disposition for a better appreciation of the spatial disposition of the interconnecting parts;

FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal end view of a further embodiment in accordance with the present invention showing a mining planer having a rearwardly extending keel disposed slidingly under a mining conveyor of the conventional type, the cutting means being connected via a piston-cylinder arrangement as securing means utilizing a slanting support link and pin means and cooperating pin receiving means to mount adjustably the cutting means on the upper portion of the base means;

FIG. 11 is a schematic top view showing details of construction of the slanting support link of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic lateral View of a further embodiment of the invention utilizing a pair of lower base members and an upper base member in the manner of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9 yet utilizing securing means of the type indigenous to FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 13 is a schematic longitudinal end view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, illustrating the forward inclination of the upper base member whereby to achieve a displaced center of gravity to enhance the extractive mining operation; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic longitudinal end view of a still further embodiment in accordance with the present invention in which the cutting means is disposed for horizontal displacement along the axis of a boom having cutting tools on the free end thereof and being connected via a piston-cylinder arrangement intermediate the ends thereof to the upper portion of the base means, with the other end of the boom being operatively connected for rotatable movement in any axial position of the boom, so that rotational and axial movement of the cutting tools may be achieved, with concomitant efiective break-up of layers of hard rock or pyrites or the like by reason of the operative range of said cutting tools and the downward force in the usual instance contributed by the inherent weight of the mining planer itself.

It has been found in accordance with the present invention that a mining planer movable longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for the extraction of mineral therefrom may be effectively provided to achieve the extraction of the upper portion of a great seam without danger to the operating personnel, with a maximum economy of production, and with a minimum expenditure in planer construction. The mining planer of the invention comprises lower level base means, upper level cutting means, and adjustable securing means, with. the securing means positioning the cutting means adjustably on the upper portion of the base means in a normally outwardly, and preferably upwardly and outwardly, extending direction beyond the base means substantially lateral to the longitudinal direction of movement of the base means and cutting means for changing the outward, or upward and outward, disposition, as the case may be, of the cutting means with respect to the adjacent mine face. In this way the range of operative extractive engagement of the cutting means with the corresponding upper portion of the adjacent mine face above the level of the base means therebelow may be increased in the desired manner. The upper portion of the base means is conveniently provided with slanting support means, such as a slanting support surface means extending in a direction corresponding to that of the cutting means or an oppositely inclined support link, and the cutting means may take the form of an elongated boom means mounted on the surface means or at least in part on the link and having at least one cutting tool thereon whereby to achieve the change in upward and outward disposition of the cutting tools.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the adjustable securing means may include bolt means 01 pin means and cooperating pin receiving means for securing the boom means to the surface means or support link in a plurality of different linearly extended upward and outward positions. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the adjustable securing means may include hydraulic means having a first part and a second part telescopingly interconnected for linear displacement with respect to one another, with the boom means being connected to one of said parts for displacement therewith while the other of said parts is connected to the base means.

In connection with the adjustable securing means, the same may include in accordance with one particular embodiment of the invention a pressure fluid operated pistoncylinder arrangement, with the cylinder of the arrangement being mounted fixedly or linkably on the support means in the required lateral direction and with the piston of the arrangement being connected to the boom means for displacing linearly the boom means upon actuation of the piston-cylinder arrangement to change the outward, or upward and outward, disposition of the boom means. A throttle valve may be provided in the pistoncylinder arrangement to permit pressure fluid flow communication between the portion of the cylinder on one side of the piston and the portion of the cylinder on the other side thereof upon the reaching of a predetermined pressure difference between the cylinder portions. The throttle valve may be arranged in the piston for communicating the pressure fluid in the cylinder portion on one side thereof with the cylinder portion on the other side thereof.

In accordance with another specific embodiment of the invention, the adjustable securing means may include a pressure fluid operated piston-cylinder arrangement, with the cylinder of the arrangement being mounted articulatingly on the base means substantially in the longitudinal direction and with the piston of the arrangement having a piston rod connected articulatingly to one end portion of the boom means, a pivotal cutter head being pivotally mounted on the other end portion of the boom means. The boom means is advantageously pivotally mounted between its end portions on the slanting surface means whereby, upon actuation of the piston-cylinder arrangement, the piston rod will change its longitudinal position and in turn will cause the boom means to pivot on the surface means to change the range of upward and outward disposition of the boom means and in turn the cutter head with respect to the adjacent mine face. The boom means may be positioned specifically for pivotal displacement in a slanting plane slightly spaced from and parallel to the surface of the support surface means, with the cutter head having a peripheral range defined by an arc of a circle in the plane measured by an angle corresponding to the angle of maximum pivot of the boom means, the arc and circle having a radius extending from the pivot point of the boom means on the surface means to the cutter head. Of course, in this embodiment as well, a throttle means may be provided in the piston-cylinder arrangement for the required flow communication of pressure fluid between the two portions of the cylinder on the respective sides of the piston.

Advantageously, the slanting support means such as the surface means or support link may be removably mounted on the base means for exchange with another slanting support surface means or slanting support link, to define a different angle of slant with the horizontal. In the same Way, the boom means may be removably mounted on the base means for exchange with another boom means having a different over-all length, and/or cutting tools of different length may be provided on the outer end of the boom means in question. The base means preferably will also be provided with cutting tools positioned at the corresponding lateral side thereof for extractive engagement with the corresponding lower portion of the adjacent mine face below the level of the boom means thereabove.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, the base means may be provided with a keel extending in a direction away from the side of the base means carrying the cutting tools for underlying in stabilizing disposition a guide means extending longitudinally along the mine face to maintain the base means and in turn the boom means in proper alignment with the mine face. A channel may be defined longitudinally through the upper end portion of the base means or a guide loop may be defined on the upper side of the boom means, respectively, for receiving slidably therethrough and retaining slidably therein the free return strand portion of the drive cable means in connection with which the planer is used, whereby to maintain the base means and in turn the boom means in proper alignment and tension with the mine face.

In accordance with another particular embodiment of the present invention the boom means is axially displaceable with respect to the base means in the lateral direction and rotatably mounted on the base means. The boom means has cutting tools extending in opposite radial direction with respect to one another, at least at one axial point along the.bom means, so that upon rotation of the boom means the cutting tools in turn will come into engagement with the adjacent portion of a mine face throughout the length of axial displacement of the boom means. Specifically, the cutting tools include cutting picks and/ or at least one cutting wheel rotatably mounted on the boom means in the vicinity of the free end of the boom means on an axis parallel to the axis of the boom means. Thus, the securing means may include a pressure fluid operative piston-cylinder arrangement of the foregoing type including a piston element and a cylinder element, one of such elements being mounted on the base means in the lateral direction and the other being connected to the boom means for displacing linearly the boom means upon actuation of the piston-cylinder arrangement to change the outward disposition of the boom means and in turn the cutting tools.

In this connection, preferably such other element is the piston, and such piston is mounted on a piston rod extending through both ends of the cylinder, with the piston, cylinder and piston rod all being of circular crosssection, one end of the piston rod forming the boom means and the opposite end of such piston rod having a worm gear means operatively connected therewith in any position of axial displacement of the boom means for rotating the piston rod and in turn the boom means and cutting tools.

In accordance with still another particular embodiment of the invention, the base means includes a pair of longitudinally spaced apart lower base members adapted to be guided longitudinally along the mine face, and an upper base member situated above and longitudinally between the lower base members and articulatedly connected to the correspondingly adjacent portion of the lower base member, the boom means being positioned by the securing means onto the upper base member. Preferably, the upper base member is positioned on the lower base member such that the center of gravity of the upper base member is displaced in the lateral direction toward the free end of the boom means and away from the normal center of gravity position of the lower base members. This is preferably achieved by providing the upper base member in a forwardly inclined position with respect to the lateral direction, i.e. toward the free end of the boom means, such that the upper end portion of the upper base member extends laterally beyond the corresponding portions of the lower base members.

Advantageously, one such lower base member is provided with two pairs of medially and longitudinally extending parallel lugs in laterally spaced apart aligned disposition and the other lower base member is provided with one pair of medially and longitudinally extending parallel lugs. On the other hand the upper base member is provided on its underside with a pair of correspondingly positioned fingers adjacent the two pairs of lugs and a single correspondingly positioned finger adajcent the one pair of lugs, the fingers and lugs being provided with corresponding apertures therethrough in the lateral direction, and pins being inserted in such apertures. In this way each finger of said pair of fingers is correspondingly situated between the lugs of a respective pair of said two pairs of lugs of the one lower base member with a pin inserted through the corresponding apertures to form a hinge link between the one lower base member and the upper base member, while the single finger is correspondingly situated between the lugs of the pair of lugs of the other lower base member, with a pin being inserted through the corresponding apertures to form a hinge link between said other lower base member and the upper base member.

Accordingly, the two pairs of lugs of the one lower base member and the one pair of lugs of the other lower base member are preferably laterally disposed in spaced apart aligned relation so that upon removal of the pins and in turn the upper base member, the lower base members may be hingedly interconnected via one of the pins inserted through the aligned apertures of said lugs.

Conveniently, the apertures in the lugs and in the fingers cooperating therewith are preferably longitudinally extending slots permitting limited play between the interconnected upper base member and the lower base members.

Referring to the drawing, an arrangement in a mineway is shown including a mining planer having a lower level base means 12 provided with an inclined or slanting support surface means 19' at its upper end portion and a longitudinally extending groove 19' along its lower end portion at the side of the planer remote from the mine face 10. The planer is also provided with an inwardly and upwardly extending plow surface 19 and a keel 13 extending transversely from the rear side of the base means 12 in a direction away from the mine face 10 so that the same underlies the mining conveyor 11 which may be of the conventional type such as a double chain scraper conveyor contemplated, for example, in US. Patent 2,745,651. A drive chain or cable 14 is attached at either longitudinal end to the base means 12 for conducting the planer back and forth along the mine face so that the cutting tools 15 may extractively engage mine face 10 to extract mineral therefrom up to a level below the level 10. In the arrangement shown, the mine floor 16 is spaced an unusually large vertical distance, from the mine ceiling 16', the area therebetween defining an unusually large seam of mineral, such as coal, which cannot be attacked by the mining planer throughout its full height, but which must instead be worked separately in the lower level 10" and in the upper level 10. As the coal or other mineral is extracted from mine face 10" by the cutting tools 15 on the base means 12, such coal is conveyed by the plow surface 19" laterally onto the conveyor 11 whereas any of the loosened coal from the upper level seam 10' may fall directly upon the conveyor. The cutting tools 15 are maintained in the desired extractive position and prevented from tilting away from the mine face by reason of the presence of the conveyor 11 and the provision for a keel 13 underlying such conveyor. Thus, as the planer base means 12 is conducted by the chain 14 longitudinally back and forth along the mine face 10, the longitudinal groove 19' will ride along the adjacent side wall of conveyor 11 with the keel 13 passing between the under side of conveyor 11 and the mine floor 16 with a minimum of friction, yet under sufficient downward force to prevent the backward tilting of base means 12 and in turn cutting tools 15. Naturally, not only the weight of the conveyor itself but also the weight of the extracted coal situated thereon will serve to stabilize base means 12 at the sliding contact surfaces of the planer and the conveyor.

In the past, where mine seams of unusual height, such as shown in FIG. 1 were encountered, as aforesaid, the upper seam coal to the extent designated at 10 in FIG. 1 would crash downwardly onto the conveyor 11, sometimes with damaging force, and the portion of the coal in seam level 10 extending rearwardly of conveyor 11 would merely fall onto the mine floor 16 at the off side of the conveyor and become admixed with the waste material such as gangue disposed thereat. Such waste 9 material may consist of a portion of the mine roof which caves in after being robbed of its support once the intermediate seam of coal has been removed and the mine props released from supporting engagement. A further expedient to maintain the cutting tools 15 in extractive engagement with mine face 10 is to provide urging cylinders or shifting cylinders at spaced intervals along the off side of conveyor 11 such that a transverse advancement of conveyor 11 toward the mine face being worked may be ensured. This expedient is also disclosed in the aforesaid US. Patent 2,745,651.

In FIG. 2, in accordance with the present invention, the slanting support surface means 19 on base means 12 is provided with a corresponding upper level cutting means in the form of an elongated boom 17 releasably affixcd by bolts 21 to slanting surface means 19. Boom 17 is provided with cutting tools 18 for engagement with the upper level of the coal seam 10 to extract such upper level seam portion, preferably prior to the extraction of the lower level seam portion 10" in the usual way. Accordingly, instead of an overhanging dangerous upper seam portion 10' as shown in FIG. 1, an upwardly and inwardly inclined ledge 20 will be formed in the mine face 10. During the back and forth movement of the planer arrangement with the boom 17 upwardly and outwardly mounted on base means 12, the normal cutting tools of the mining planer are not actually meant to be placed in effective operative engagement with mine face 10". Such additional extractive engagement would place undue burdens upon the drive means 14 and would divide the effective power between the two types of cutting means 15 and 18 so that the singular effectiveness of either could not be appreciated.

In FIG. 3, the boom 17 has been displaced upwardly and outwardly a greater linear distance from the slanting support surface means 22 which differs from that in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the inclusion of a longitudinal channel 22' defined therethrough which accommodates the return strand 14' of the drive chain or cable in connection with which the device is used. Also, the boom 17 is provided with further cutting tools 18 extending rearwardly thereon at convenient spaced intervals. This will lead to the smooth and effective extraction of mineral from the upper level 10 so that the ledge 20 will extend in the same general direction as the boom 17. The tools 18 may be interchangeable members having threaded bottom ends for insertion in corresponding openings in boom 17 or the additional cutting tools 18 may be attached to boom 17 in any desired manner. As will be appreciated, the slanting support surface means 19 and 22 are interchangeable on the base means 12, and of course other slanting support surface means may be interchanged for either of means 19 and 22 where it is desired to change the angle of inclination of such means and in turn the angle of inclination of the boom 17 with respect to the mine face being worked. Of course, by reason of the presence of the return strand 14' of the drive chain, which will normally be under some tension, an additional stabilizing effect may be enjoyed, i.e. with the tension of the return strand 14' acting on the channel 22' keeping the base means 12 upright and in positive engagement via the cutting tools 15 with the mine face being worked. Even where the cutting tools 15 are not meant to be placed in operative engagement with the adjacent mine face, i.e. where the boom 17 is being used to extract mineral from the upper portion 10 of the seam, the return strand 14' will effectively maintain the boom and cutting tools 18 thereon in the desired positive engagement disposition. Generally, the drive chain 14 is attached at its ends to the respective longitudinal ends of the base means 12 and the drive chain 14 is looped at its ends over appropriate drive wheels which are used to drive chain 14 in both directions, alternately, whereby the mining planer will be conducted back and forth along the mine face. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 3, for instance, the re- 10 turn strand 14' of the drive chain will pass through the channel 22' and thus contribute to the desired stability of the system inasmuch as the drive chain is mounted on the drive wheels at both longitudinal ends of the mine face being worked under some tension. The effectiveness of the return strand 14' in the channel 22' particularly appreciated where the mine face being worked is curved in a convex manner so that the path of the return strand 14' represents the farthest circumferential path of the mining planer from the convex mine face being worked.

In FIG. 4, the boom 17 has been extended to its maximum position as compared with the positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. To accomplish this, the boom 17 may be provided with appropriate openings 17a (shown schematically) therethrough to permit the bolts 21 to attach adjustably and removably the boom 17 onto the surface means 19 or 22, as the case may be, in a plurality of separate positions for extending the cutting tools 18 farther and farther into the mine face being worked so as to provide a deeper and deeper upwardly and outwardly inclining ledge 20. In FIG. 4 additional cutting tools 18 are provided over those tools of FIGS. 2 and 3, such additional cutting tools being placed on boom 17 as the work progresses. In place of the channel 22' in the support surface means 22, FIG. 4 shows an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 2 utilizing a support surface means 19. The same kind of effective stabilization, nevertheless, may still be achieved with the alternate utilization of a guiding loop 23 placed upon the upper side of boom 17 away from the mine ledge 20 of the mine face 10, whereby the return strand 14' of the drive chain may be positioned therethrough to keep the boom 17 under some tension against the mine face 10. In this connection, even where the return strand 14 sags to some extent, and especially where the mine face 16 may not be completely even in longitudinal direction, the return strand 14' may ride up and down within the guiding loop 23 (shown in phantom), yet positive extractive engagement of the cutting tools 18 will be enjoyed. Of course, during this time the cutting tools 15 on the mining planer base means 12 will not be placed in extractive engagement with the lower portion 10" of the seam being worked as aforesaid. To accomplish this, the urging or shifting cylinders transversely disposed on the off side of the conveyor 11 will be released and the planer merely conducted back and forth along the mine face under the appropriate guidance of the outwardly limiting conveyor 11, perhaps also under the tension of the return strand 14'.

An over-all consideration of FIGS. 1-4 will disclose that the mine seam being worked is unusually great in height and cannot be worked in the normal manner merely by the use of a planer having the lateral cutting tools 15 extending toward the mine face 10. In order to minimize danger to the workmen from falling roof coal or other mineral, the mining operations may now be carried out in accordance with the present invention by alternately extracting the lower portion 10" and the upper portion 10" of the extra large coal seam 10, preferably with the upper seam portion 16 being extracted first so as to form a slanting ledge 21 along which the subsequently extracted coal may roll to place the same in line with the conveyor 11. As the upper seam portion 19' is removed ahead of the lower seam portion 10", further transversely extending support props may be placed in engagement with the mine floor 16 and mine ceiling 16' to protect the workmen against cave-in of the mine roof 16' robbed at this point of so much support. This is especially important Where the nature of the strata is such that the removal of coal weakens the mine roof to a dangerous extent. Once the upper level portion 10' has been extracted by the gradual extension of the boom 17 as seen in the stages of coal removal in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, then the boom 17 may be retracted or removed altogether to permit the base means 12 to be placed into extractive engagement with the lower seam portion 10" I l to extract this portion of the mine face via the cutting tools 15.

In FIG. 5, an alternate embodiment is shown in which the base means 12 is provided with a boom 24 having a removable cutting tool 25 thereon which engages the mine roof 16' to a gradually increasing extent, due to the piston cylinder arrangement 27, 26. Specifically, a cylinder 27 is mounted on slanting support surface 19 and the piston 26 situated for back and forth movement therewithin is connected operatively to the rear end of boom 24. The cylinder 27 may be of the usual double acting type in which the piston 25 moves back and forth therein depending upon the charging and discharging of pressure fluid, such as hydraulic fluid, appropriately to one side of the piston or the other within cylinder 27. In particular, pressure fluid from a source (not shown) may be conducted to the chamber portion of cylinder 27 on one side of piston 26 to force the piston in the opposite direction while at the same time the pressure fluid within the chamber portion on the other side of piston 26 is discharged therefrom. In this embodiment the base means 12 is provided with an elongated portion 28 for attachment of the drive chain 14 thereto. The cutting tool 25 is interchangeable for other cutting tools of different length to extend the over-all length of the boom 24 beyond the range of movement provided by the piston cylinder arrangement 26, 27. A similar replaceable tool may be utilized in connection with the boom 17 shown in FIGS. 2-4, and, of course, boom 24 may be provided also with side cutting tools spaced axially therealong in the same manner as the lateral tools 18 in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In connection with FIG. 6, the base means 12 is provided with the pivoting boom 23 having the pivotal or articulating cutter head 30, the boom 29 being pivotally connected on support surface 19 by the pin 31. A piston cylinder arrangement 33, 34 is provided for controlling the pivotal movement of boom 29. Cylinder 34 is pivotally connected by pin 35 to the extension 28 of basemeans 12 so that the cylinder 34 will extend in a substantially longitudinal direction. The piston 33 is connected by means of piston rod 32 with the rearmost end of boom 29 by pin 36. Hence, pressure fluid which may act on each side of piston 3 3m cylinder 34 in the same manner as explained above in the case of the piston cylinder arrangement 26, 27 of FIG. 5, will cause the longitudinal movement of rod 32 so as to pivot boom 29 in the direction of the double headed arrow about the pivot point 31. Since surface support means 19 is slanted laterally toward the mine face 10 in the same manner as the boom 17 in FIGS. 2-4, the pivotal movement of boom 29 will bring the same from a lowermost and rearwardmost position to an uppermost and forwardmost position with respect to the mine face It) being worked. It is expedient to utilize the arrangement of FIG. 6 for the separate layer-wise removal of coal or other mineral from a mine face, with the cutter head 30 working in only one direction. In this way, upon forward movement, the cutter head 30 will engage mine face 10 to produce an S-shaped cut 37 therein in short longitudinal movements of base means 12, assuming that the boom 29 is capable of receding where excessive predetermined forces are met at the mine face 16. For this purpose, a throttle valve may be provided in the hydraulic or pneumatic system, as the case may be, of the particular piston-cylinder ararngement. Such throttle valve will control the flow of pressure fluid between the portion of the cylinder on one side of the piston and the portion thereof on the other side of such piston.

While no throttle valve is shown in either the piston cylinder arrangement of FIG. or of FIG. 6, the construction and operation of such throttle valves is notoriously old and the throttle valve may be positioned at some point in the pressure line connecting the portions of the cylinder chambers on both sides of the piston, or the throttle valve may be positioned .in the piston itself whereby upon reaching a predetermined back pressure, pressure fluid on one side of the piston within the cylinder will pass to the other side of the piston within such cylinder and thereby cause the axial movement of the piston in a desired manner. Thus, as shown schematically in FIG. 6a, the throttle valve is contained in pis ton 24a to permit pressure fluid communication therethrough between both sides of cylinder 25a as described. In the case of FIG. 5, the rearward movement of boom 24 will take place and in the case of FIG. 6, the downward pivotal movement of boom 29 will take place as the piston rod 32 extends outwardly more and more from the cylinder 34. Alternately, a dash pot may be provided to effect the return movement of the particular boom where excessive predetermined forces are met by the boom in engagement with the mine face.

One particular advantage of carrying out the extraction of mineral from the mine face in S-shaped cuts is that prop support means 38 may be extended transversely toward the mine face as the work progresses longitudinally, so that in the case of mineways with weak ceilings 16', immediate support may be provided as the coal is removed to prevent cave-in of the mine ceiling at the site of mining operations before the usual more permanent mine supports are installed in the mineway.

In accordance with the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9, a mining planer arrangement 46 is shown, including the lower base members 41 and 42 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and interconnected by the upper base member 43. The arrangement 49 is displaced longitudinally via the traction means or chain 44, the lower base members 41 and 42 being further interconnected by a suitable means such as chain 45 to maintain these parts in reinforced fixed distance association with respect to one another. Upper base member 43 is provided with fingers 48a, 48b and 480 (see FIG. 9) appropriately containing the apertures in the form of elongated slots 47 through which the pins 46 are passed so as to hingedly interconnect upper base member 43 with the lugs 49 and 50 of the lower base members 41 and 42 respectively. Lower base members 41 and 42 may be provided with suitable cutting tools 51 thereon whereby to cut the lower portion of the mine face adjacent the mine floor in the usual way while upper base member 43 is rovided with appropriate cutting tools 52 so as to achieve with the cutting tools 51, in either direction of advance of the mining planer, a suitable extraction of mineral to a reasonable height normally encountered in a mine face. Above the upper base member 43 is situated the slanting support means 53 having a slanting support surface 57 (see FIG. 8) extending in an outward and upward direction laterally toward the mine face to be worked. In turn, a cylinder 54 is disposed on the surface 57 and contains a piston (not shown) to which the boom 55 is connected. Boom 55 carries the cutting tools 56 on the free end thereof adjacent the mine face to be worked and while the remote end of the boom is shown as extending through the rear head of cylinder 54, of course as the artisan will appreciate, a construction similar to that shown in FIG. 5 regarding the parts 24, 26 and 27 thereof may be employed instead. In the same way, the construction of the boom 55 with respect to the cylinder 54 shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9 may also be employed in the embodiment of FIG. 5 in place of the parts 24, 26 and 27 thereof.

As may be seen in FIG. 8, the upper base member 43 is inclined forwardly out of the normal longitudinal vertical plane of the mining planer 46 as represented by the lower base members 41 and 42. This is achieved by providing finger 48c with a longer vertical dimension than finger 48a, with finger 43b (see FIG. 9) being appropriately dimensioned to achieve a stable disposition of mem ber 43 on members 41 and 42 in the desired forwardly inclined direction. In this way, the upper base member 43 will be constantly forced into the mine face, whereby to contribute to some extent the inherent weight thereof to the forces utilized operatively to extract mineral from the mine face. Indeed, the forward inclination of member 43 shifts the center of gravity thereof in a desirable manner so as to offset any tendency of the mining planer and especially the member 43 to tilt rearwardly under the counter forces met at the mine face either by the cutting tools 52 or the cutting tools 56.

As shown in FIG. 9 the members 41 and 42 are provided on the appropriate upwardly sloping surfaces 51 which serve in the well known manner to guide extracted mineral upwardly over the lower base members 41 and 42 and into a mining conveyor (not shown) disposed on the rear side of the mining planer 40 for conveyance away from the site of operations.

In FIG. 9, the disposition of the two pairs of lugs 49 of the lower base member 41 and the one pair of lugs 50 of the lower base member 42 may be appreciated in connection with the spatial disposition of the pair of fingers 48a and 480 adjacent the two pairs of lugs 49 and the single finger 48b correspondingly adjacent the one pair of lugs 50. Also, the aligned disposition of the channels 47 in the form of longitudinally extended slots may be seen whereby, upon insertion of the pin means 46 (see FIG. 7), a hinged connection is provided between lower base member 41 and one longitudinal end portion of upper base member 43 and a further hinged connection is provided between the opposite longitudinal end portion of upper base member 43 and the appropriately disposed lower base member 42. Most especially, and in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lateral spaced apart relation of the various lugs and fingers is such that upon removing the pins 46 and in turn the upper base member 43, the pair of lower base members may be hingedly interconnected via the lugs 50 on the one hand and the lugs 49 on the other, with an appropriate pin inserted through the aligned channels 47 thereat.

The embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11 is similar to that 'of FIGS. and 7 to 9 insofar as a cylinder 70 in upwardly and outwardly inclined disposition is provided in which the boom 68 is mounted via a suitable piston (not shown), the boom 68 carrying cutting tools 69 on the free end thereof. The base means 58 is provided with a rearwardly extending keel 59 similar to that shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, for instance, yet in the arrangement of FIG. the keel 59 is provided with a connecting neck 60 containing a lug 61 disposed within the lower channel 62 at the rear side of conveyor 63 along which the traction means or drive chain for displacing longitudinally the mining planer is disposed. The upper strand of such drive chain, i.e. the return strand 64, is disposed within the upper channel 65 in accordance with the conventional arrangement of such parts. Advantageously, the base means 58 may contain a plurality of superimposed stacked base connections 66, whereby to achieve an extended height of the base means.

Such base means contain a plurality of cutting tools 67 thereon for operative engagement with the lower portion of the -mine base in a manner similar to the tools 51 and 52 of cooperating pin receiving means for the pin 71. Also, the slanting support link 74 is provided, in this case at the forward portion of base means 58, with the lower end 75 being linkably interconnected via longitudinal extending pin 77 with the cooperating ears 76 on the upper portion Of base means 58 spaced in the lateral direction from the cooperating ears 72. The upper end 78 of link 74 is likewise connected via pin 80 with the cooperating ears 79 at the forward portion of the underside of cylinder 70.

In FIG. 11, the constructional arrangement of link 74 is shown including especially the ears 81 and 82 at the ends thereof, each having an appropriate channel 83 defined therethrough, with extended ears 84 being shown at one of said ends in phantom with an appropriately positioned further channel 84'. The use of the further channel, as the artisan will appreciate, is to permit an adjustment in the length of the interconnection between the cylinder 70 on the one hand and the upper portion of the base means on the other hand. In particular, the link 74 is shown to interconnect via ears 81 and 82 the cooperating ears 79 on the underside of the cylinder 70 and the cooperating ears 76 on the upper portion of base means 58. The reverse positioning may be provided, if desired, such that the cooperating ears 79 are directly interconnected with the cooperating ears 76 via pin 77 in the longitudinal direction, with the cooperating ears 71 and 72 being interconnected via the link 74 and pin 73 on the one hand and pin on the other hand, as the artisan will appreciate.

A third possibility is that the cylinder 70 may be positioned in the horizontal direction as shown in phantom in FIG. 10, i.e. with the link 74 being omitted and such that the cooperating cars 79 and 71 interconnect with the cooperating ears 76 and 72, respectively, utilizing suitably pins 77 and 73 for this purpose. This will enable the boom 68 to extend axially in a horizontal direction, yet by simple manipulation the various pins may be removed for reinsertion of link 74 on either the front or rear end of cylinder 70 for changing the inclined disposition thereof with respect to the mine face, i.e. in the lateral direction.

In FIGS. 12 and 13 an embodiment is shown similar to that of FIGS. 10 and 11, with respect to the link and ear interconnections, yet similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9 with regard to the use of a pair of lower base member articulatedly connected with an upper base member. Specifically, the lower base members 85 and 86 are interconnected with the upper base member 87 via the fingers 88 and lugs 89 utilizing pins 90 for this purpose. A chain 91 is used to conduct the mining planer assembly in the desired back and forth longitudinal direction and an interconnecting chain 92 is provided similar to chain 45 in FIG. 7. On the remote side of the mining planer a guide means 93 is situated in the form of a mining conveyor. Suitable cutting tools 94 are provided on the members 85 and 86 while cutting tools 95 are provided on the upper base member 87. As in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the upper base member 87 is provided in the form of a plurality of superimposed stacked base connections 96, 97 and 98, whereby to extend the height of the mining planer a reasonable degree. A boom 99 carrying cutting tools 100 is secured by the cylinder of 101 to the upper portion of the upper base member 87 in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIG. 10. For this purpose, a longitudinally extending yoke 102 having the cooperating ears 103 is provided which is connected via pin 106 with the appropriately disposed ears of link 104. The ears 107 at the lower end of link 104 are in turn connected via pin 109 with cooperating ears 108 on the upper portion of upper base member 87.

FIG. 13 shows in phantom the alternate disposition of the boom 99 whereby to achieve the different angular positions of cylinder 101 as provided for by the extended ears 84 shown in phantom in FIG. 11. The rear attachment of the cylinder 101 to the upper base member 87 is achieved via the cooperating cars 1110 and 111 utilizing the longitudinally extending pin 112. The pair of fingers 88 shown in FIG. 13 illustrates the manner in which the upper base member 87 may be forwardly inclined in accordance with the inclined upper base means feature of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9.

The lower base means 85 and 86 are provided with rearwardly extending keels 113 in the maner shown in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the keels having a.connect-.

ing neck 114 terminating in a connecting lug 115 for attachment to the drive chain (not shown) which passes along lower channel 116 in the forward direction such that the return of the chain is effected along upper channel 117.

In FIG. 14, an embodiment is shown including a lower base member 119 having the base connections 120 and 121 to increase the height thereof in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIG. 10, for instance, cutting tools 122 being provided on the base means for the desired purpose so that engagement with the mine face 123 along the normal operative height of engagement may be en oyed. Base means 119 may be conducted in the longitudinal direction via the chain 124 in the well known manner and guide means in the form of a conveyor 125 may be situated on the side of the planer remote from the mine face to maintain the planer in extractive engagement with the mine face. Cooperating ears 126 and 128 are interconnected via a longitudinally extending pin 127 and cooperating ears 129 and 131 are similarly interconnected via the longitudinally extending pin 130 whereby to interconnect the cylinder 132 with the base means 119. A piston 133 disposed within cylinder 132 carries the boom 134 at one end thereof, the rear end of such boom extending outwardly through the rear end of cylinder 132 whereby a worm gear means 136 connected to the cylinder 132 and disposed over the rear end 135 of boom 134 may effect the rotation of boom 134 and in turn piston 133 within cylinder 132. This is accomplished by turning handle 138 manually or by other means whereby the gear wheel 137 engaging worm 136 is caused to turn, thereby rotating end 135 and boom 134. Gear wheel 137 is axially displaceably situated on end 134 yet fixed against rotational displacement with respect to end 135, as the artisan will appreciate. Naturally, piston 133, the appropriate portions of boom 134 and end 135 extending through cylinder 132 must be of circular cross-section to permit the desired rotation to take place. Cutting tools 139 are disposed at the free end of boom 134, preferably in staggered radial disposition so that cutting tools may engage the hard rock layer 140 or other mineral in any position of rotation of boom 134. Alternatively, a cutting wheel 143 may be disposed on the free end of boom 134 rotatable about an axis parallel to that of boom 134.

In connection with the embodiment of FIG. 14 it will be seen that a lower layer of mineral 141 is interrupted from the upper layer of mineral 142 by the layer of hard rock or pyrites 140. In extracting mineral from :such strata, the embodiment of FIG. 14 may be used with great advantage, since the boom 134 may be displaced axially to place the cutting tools 139 or the cutting wheel 143 in downward engagement with the rock layer 140 to break up the same, with suitable rotation of boom 134 being carried out to provide appropriate engagement via the staggered or offset cutting tools 139 with layer 140. This will effect the desired break-up of the hard Y-layer 1419, whereafter the lower layer 141 may be ex- :tracted by tools 122 on base means 119. Understandly, previous extraction of the upper layer 142 has been undertaken and this may be done either with the arrangement :shown in FIG. 14, perhaps with additional appropriate cutting tools on the free end of the boom 134.

It will be appreciated by the artisan that the link 74 of FIGS. 10 and 11 and the link 104 of FIGS. 12 and 13 may be used in the embodiment of FIG. 14 either between the cooperating ears adjacent the mine face or the cooperating ears remote from the mine face, i.e. those on the upper portion of the base means and on the underside of the cylinder. A triangular relationship may thus be provided, having a base extending between the channels occupied by the two lower pins 77, 71; 109, 112; and 130, 127, as the case may be, the appropriate link defining one of the sides of the triangle and the cylinder defining the other such side, In this manner, the boom may be extended not only horizontally as shown in FIG. 14, but by appropriate inclusion or omission of a slanting support link, the boom may be disposed upwardly in the lateral direction toward the mine face or downwardly in such direction, so as to cut in an upper range, a middle range, and a lower range, in an adjustable manner in accordance with the concepts herein disclosed.

In accordance with the various constructions of the present invention, therefore, the boom means may be positioned on a slanting support means in an adjustable manner so that the upward and outward disposition thereof with respect to the adjacent mine face may be changed in order to increase the range of operative extractive engagement of the cutting tools on the boom means with respect to the upper portion of the mine face, i.e. at a level above the normal range of operation of the lower base means. Versatility is enjoyed by the fact that the various slanting support means may be interchanged to vary the slanting angle of attack of the boom means and to provide a channel for the return strand of the drive chain, for instance as covered by the embodiment of FIG. 3, and due to the fact that the boom means itself may be positioned in increments of extended position on the base means or in a gradually changing position on the base means in the case of using a piston-cylinder arrangement. While the piston of FIGS. 5 to 10 and 12 to 14 has been shown connected to the boom means and the cylinder has been shown connected fixedly or articulatingly to the base means, as the case may be, it will be appreciated by the artisan that this arrangement may be reversed, and the piston may be connected to the base means with the cylinder being attached appropriately to the boom means.

With especial reference to the arrangement of FIG. 6, it will be appreciated that the boom 29 is positioned for pivotal displacement in a slanting plane slightly spaced from and parallel to the surface of the support surface means 19 with the cutter head 30 having a peripheral range defined by an arc of a circle in the plane measured by an angle corresponding to the angle of maximum pivot of the boom, where the arc and circle have a radius extending from the pivot point 31 of the boom 29 to the cutter head 30.

It will be appreciated further by the artisan that not only may cutting tools of the type 15, 18, 25, 39, 51, 52, 56, 67, 69, 94, 95, 100, 122, 139 and 143 be made replaceable by cutting tools of different length or construction, but also the various booms 17, 24, 29, 55, 68, 99 and 134 themselves may be replaced by booms of different length or construction. All such interchanges of support surface means, booms, cutting tools, etc. may be effectively accomplished, as the artisan will appreciate, by semi-skilled or unskilled workmen with little effort.

By the foregoing arrangement of upper level cutting means on the base means of a mining planer, extra large mining seams may now be worked efiiciently and with little danger to the workmen, the upper level coal or other mineral being readily conducted at an inclined angle onto the conveyor due to the formation of a corresponding inclined ledge 20 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) and the use of inclined upper level cutting means which conceivably by brushing or scraping action might also aid in directing the falling mineral onto the conveyor. Since the upper portion of the extra large seam is preferably first extracted, i.e. before the lower seam portion is extracted, the aforementioned prior art disadvantages will be avoided, the mining roof supports may be installed immediately adjacent the mine face as the work progresses, and there will be little chance for the valuable coal or other mineral to overshoot the conveyor and be mixed ith gangue or waste material disposed in the area of mining operations.

It will be realized also that in the case of a pivotally disposed boom as shown in FIG. 6, the boom may be fixed in any particular position and maintained in such position during successive passes of the planer back and forth along the mine face, and/or with an adjustably increased range of cutting during the successive passes. Any known locking means may be used to hold the boom in proper angular relationship with the mine face being worked and of course this is true regardless of which embodiment of the invention is considered.

Nevertheless, where the operation of the pivotal boom is to be carried out in the manner depicted in FIG. 6, it is preferable to move the boom 29 out to its maximum cutting length initially, with the boom being supported in a manner permitting it to yield against a predetermined resistance in the mine face, whereupon the boom will yield rearwardly and downwardly as the same encounters the resistance of the mine face. For achieving the S- 'shaped cut in the upper portion of the mine face, the planer is conducted back and forth in a series of short passes with the boom being lifted away from the mine face during each return ass and being immediately displaced outwardly to its maximum operating length for each forward pass along the mine face whereby to carry out the next S-shaped cut.

Since the backward tipping moment caused by the forces of the mine face against the planer increase as the height of the planer increases, the undesired tipping moment will be effectively compensated in accordance with the invention by reason of the presence of the reinforcing return strand of the drive chain is discussed in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 or Where a planer having a tilted upper base member is used. Nevertheless, it will be appreciated by the artisan that the guide loop 23 as shown in phantom in FIG. 4 need not be present, yet the required stabilizing reinforcement of the boom will be achieved by merely allowing the return strand of the drive chain to rest its weight on the upper rearward side of the boom in question and this is true with regard to all embodiments of the invention which may be so modified with little difficulty. The very tension and weight of the return strand of the drive means cable will be sufficient in most cases to offset the mine face resistance and prevent tilting of the planer away f-rom the mine face even where the planer extends vertically over an extra large height.

It has been found in practice to provide the support surface means 19 and/or 22 as well as 57 with an inclination angle which is best approximately 3 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal, and correspondingly to dimension link 74 or 104 to achieve a similar angle of inclination for the particular boom means. The corresponding incline fashioned in the mine face to produce the ledge advantageously will consume by fl'lClllOll the kinetic energy of the coal or other mineral being loosened which slides along ledge 20, whereby assurance will be given that the loosened pieces of coal will fall directly onto the conveyor. A bounce plate or rebound plate (not shown) may be installed on the off side of the conveyor to retain on the conveyor such pieces of coal which might otherwise bounce off as they fall from the ledge 20 and of course by keeping the amount of coal which does not fall onto the conveyor to a minimum, the subsequent manual shoveling of such coal onto the conveyor and the attendant separation thereof from any gangue or waste material thereat will be minimized.

While the various booms may be merely rearwardly displaced on the base means so that the same do not engage the mine face when the lower portiton of the mine seam is being extracted by the normal planer tools 15, it is also contemplated to remove completely the upper cutting means, such as the boom, and only reposition the same on the base means when the next section of upper portion coal is to be removed. Naturally, where just the lower portion of the seam is being extracted, the shifting cylinders will urge the conveyor, and in turn the base means into the desired extractive engagement, although when the boom is used to cut the upper portion of the coal, such urgence of the conveyor and in turn the planer will not necessarily be utilized as this might place an undue load on the mining operations without a concomitant degree of efficiency.

It will be appreciated that in accordance with the construction of FIGS. 5, 7 to 10, and 12 to 14, the extractive engagement will be similar to that of the constructions of FIGS. 24, although provision may be made for the boom 24, 55, 68, 9? or 134, to recede upon encountering a predetermined excess resistance, as for example by way of a throttle valve, etc., cf. FIG. 6a, of conventional design, so that no danger of damage to the planer parts will occur and so that undue forces are not exerted on the drive chain means and in turn on the drive wheels used to conduct the same along the mine face.

Thus in accordance with the present invention the slanting support means, i.e. either the slanting support surface of FIGS. 1 to 9 or the slanting support link of FIGS. 10 to 13 and even FIG. 14, may be exchanged for one another, with suitable modifications in construction as the artisan will apreciate, or may be exchanged with an indigenous support surface or support link having a different set of dimensions whereby to provide a different angle of attack of the boom means with respect to the mine face, i.e. such that the boom means will extend outwardly and upwardly, outwardly and downwardly, or substantially horizontally, with respect to the mine face being worked. All of such slanting support means constructions contemplated by the present invention possess pronounced rigidity against displacement by reason of the configuration and disposition of the slanting support means.

In the same way, the bolted boom means of FIGS. 2 to 4, the piston-cylinder arrangement carrying the boom means on the piston rod thereof (or optionally as the artisan will appreciate on the cylinder thereof where such parts are in reversed relationship) as generally covered in FIGS. 5, 7 to 10, 12 and 13, and even FIG. 14, and the pivotally positioned boom of FIG. 6, may be exchangeable with respect to one another with obvious constructional modifications, the length and type of boom and type and number of cutting tools all being exchangeable for the various modifications contemplated by the present invention. In this regard, the cutting tools may be disposed at varied angles to the axis of the boom and at various staggered radial positions at the same axial point or at spaced-apart axil points on the boom means.

The lower base members and upper base member arrangements of FIGS. 7'to 9, l2 and 13, may be exchanged with the base means contemplated by FIGS. 1 to 6, l0 and 14, by obvious modifications in accordance with the present invention, as the artisan will appreciate, all of such base means contemplating, if desired, one or more stacked or superimposed base connections such as those shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 to 14.

The forward incline of the base means, and especially the upper base member of the arrangements of FIGS. 7 to 9, l2 and 13, may be provided in connection with the remaining planer assemblies contemplated by the present invention, i.e. those in which the upper base portion is not articulatedly connected to a pair of longitudinally spaced-apart lower base members. Advantageously, because of the forward incline or tilting disposition in question, the center of gravity will tend to urge the cutting tools operatively positioned in the lateral direction into engagement with the mine face for more effective extraction of mineral. The necessary pressure'is thus attained merely by predetermining the Weight distribution of the base means so that the cutting tools will engage the mine face under positive force.

In this particular regard, where mine seams of great thickness, i.e. in the vertical direction, are encountered, the mining planer is generally constructed as a very heavy device, by dint of the fact that the same must extend to an unusual height, yet must be constructed so that the same will be durable in use, under the excessive forces placed thereupon during mining operations and the like. Such heavy mining planets, by their very weight, could be drawn along the mine face without deviation from the assigned path which might otherwise be caused by the presence of chunks of mineral disposed therealong. Nevertheless, a prior disadvantage of such operation was that, although the heavy mining planer could move rela tively quietly along the mine face in an undisturbed manner due to its heavy weight, the heavy weight itself prevented the guide means, such as a mining planer, from operatively forcing the planer into extractive engagement with the mine face. Usually, this is accomplished by urging cylinders acting against the side of the conveyor remote from the mine face, whereby the conveyor then urges in turn the mining planer against the mine face and the cutting tools thereon into effective extractive engagement. Nevertheless, due to the very excessive weight of such mining planers used to extract mineral from unusually vertically wide mine seams, such urging cylinders could not be used effectively to force the heavy mining planer in the desired way. As a consequence, only relatively thin layers of mineral could be extracted with each passage of the planer and thus the capacity over-all was lower than that enioyed in normal planer operations with which a thicker cut into the mine face could be attained. In accordance with the present invention such disadvantage is overcome by providing the mining planer with a statically unstable center of gravity such that the mining planer and in turn the cutting tools will be positively urged with a resultant force against the mine face as the mining planer is conducted along its longitudinal path. Although unstable, the mining planer is able to remain upright due to the counter-force met at the mine face, yet the very weight of the unusually large planer is utilized to advantage in attaining deeper cuts into the mine face as opposed to the previously described result. In short, the mining planer is constructed with a high center of gravity so that the planer has the constant tendency to tilt toward the mine face. Essentially, in accordance with this special embodiment of the invention, the mining planer which comprises a base means having cutting tools thereon operatively positioned in one direction and adapted to extend in said direction into extractive engagement with the mine face, is provided with a statically unstable center of gravity at a point thereon above the mine floor so that a resultant imbalance force constantly urges the base means and in turn the tool means substantially in said direction toward the mine face for more effective tool means engagement therewith.

Naturally, the channel 22 provided in FIG. 3 and the guide loop 23 provided in FIG. 4 may be utilized in each of the various embodiments of the present invention and such channel and guide loop constructions are interchangeable with respect to one another, as the artisan will appreciate, with suitable modifications being made in the various instances as required. In the case of the use of a slanting support link arrangement for securing the boom means to the base means, the space within the aforedescribed triple longitudinal axes forming the triangle could be considered a channel or guide loop through which the return strand of the drive chain for the planer may travel. This will stabilize the disposition of the mining planer and even emphasize the forward tilt thereof against the mineface in accordance with the previously discussed offset center of gravity concept. Also, in each of the various embodiments of the invention, the return strand of the drive chain for the mining planer may be disposed along the upper side of the particular boom means and/ or adjustable securing means and/ or base means, whereby to stabilize such disposition and even urge positively the planer against the mine face. Additionally, the provision for a rearwardly and transversely extending keel from the til) base means so as tounderlie the guide means such as a conveyor, may also aid in preventing backward tilt of the planer away from the mine face, as the artisan will appreciate, and by predetermining the angle of the plane of the keel with respect to the angle of the vertical longitudinally extending plane of the mining planer, the planer itself may be tilted forwardly so as to utilize the inherent weight thereof in accordance with the foregoing statically unstable center of gravity concept In addition, the keel arrangement may be utilized in connection with a mining planer having the drive cable therefor situated along the side of the guide means adjacent the mine face or on the side of the guide means remote from such mine face. The usual instance of such guide means is a mining conveyor and the use of a drive chain at the side of the conveyor adjacent the mine face and at the remote side thereof has been demonstrated in the various embodiments herein described as will be clear from a review of the instant drawings. These positional arrangements of course, as the artisan will appreciate, may be exchanged with one another by suitable modifications in construction.

Particular advantages in using a mining planer contain ing a pair of lower base members and an upper base member, as noted above, are not only that unevenness in the mine floor may be accommodated due to the more or less hinged connections between such parts, but also that there are provisions for deviations of the interconnected parts from one another in vertical, transverse and horizontal directions. Such deviations may be provided for by the use of hinge means having openings therethrough for the hinge pin which are are of larger dimensions than the diameter of such pin, for example with the use of longitudinally extending slots in the longitudinal direction of movement of the planer, with the transverse width of the slots being suitably wider than the diameter of the pin passed therethrough in the lateral direction. Understandably, in connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 9 and 12 and 13, with the use of three fingers for connecting the upper base member to the adjacent lower base members, a three point support for the upper base member is provided, and with respect to one of the fingers on each side of the upper base member, a link analogous to the link used at the upper portion of the base means in the embodiments of F163. 16 to 13 (see especially FIG. 11 by analogy), may be employed to interconnect such two fingers with the appropriate lugs on the adjacent lower base members. A triangular interconnection will be provided in a similar manner to that described hereinabove in connection with the mounting specifically of the boom means by the securing means. The artisan will of course appreciate the particular constructional details by which the instant modification may be undertaken, without the need for a specific illustration thereof in view of the ample disclosure herein regarding the nature and scope of the present invention. The particular link used in this connection may be provided with several channels therethrough or may be replaceably mounted for exchange with a link of different operative dimensions to change the angle of tilt of the upper base member on the lower base members, in the same way as the slanting support link of FIGS. 10 to 13 and even FIG. 14 may be replaced.

In further regard to the articulatedly interconnected lower base members and upper base member, the use of a chain or other means interconnecting directly the two lower base members is contemplated herein so as to relieve the forces exerted on the articulated interconnections previously described, but each supplemental direct connection between the two lower base members may be omitted in particular cases.

In practical mining operations using a forwardly tilted mining planer of the type noted above, the guide means such as a mining conveyor may even be released from urging disposition toward the mine face and the conveyor itself shut down until a particular pass or number of passes of the planer against the mine face has taken place. However, to the extent permitted, the urgence of the conveyor toward the mine face, i.e. by the use of urging cylinders in the well known manner, may implement the tilting forces in question and add somewhat to the over-all pressure exerted by the cutting tools on the mine face in terms of the inherent weight of the planer and the force of drive means used to conduct such planer along its desired path.

A further feature of the invention by which any of the foregoing links may be changed in operative connecting length concerns the use of a forked end at one connecting side of the link, the length between the opposite end and each of such forked ends being different. By providing the channel means through each of the forked ends, it will be appreciated that the connecting pins may be utilized to provide the interconnection at the end in question through either of the fork ends and thus adjust the interconnecting distance, for example, between the appropriate portion of the securing means, i.e. piston-cylinder arrangement, for the boom means and the base means, or for example between the upper base member and the lower base members where a link might be contemplated in that regard as well.

In especial connection with the embodiment of FIG. 14, it will be appreciated that a link may be utilized therewith, either to dispose the boom means downwardly or upwardly, i.e. toward the mine face, depending upon whether the interconnecting link is at the forward lateral side or rearward lateral side of the cylinder in question. In any case, a versatile method of extracting mineral is attained, even where a layer of hard rock or pyrites is present, such that the mineral above such hard layer may be removed first, whereupon a scoring tool may cut into the rock layer or a pressure tool may exert breaking force into such hard layer, in either or both instances utilizing, if desired the inherent weight of the planer, or such that the underside of such hard layer may be first extracted and the scoring or pressure breaking may be applied upwardly to the hard layer. Advantageously, in the instance where downward force is used against the hard rock layer, the immediate vicinity below the hard layer should be extracted to rob the hard layer of support thereunder. Usually, since such rock layers are foliated the same chip off in plate-like chunks and the ultimate removal of the rock is enhanced. Desirably, enough mineral is removed before the rock layer is attacked, i.e. either or both above and below such rock layer, that upon attacking the rock layer no mineral will be admixed therewith. Once the rock has been extracted and conveyed by the conveyor, then the mineral once again can be attacked without the undesired admixing of these materials. The attack of such hard rock layer is advantageously attained by cutting at right angles to the plane of the rock seam and this ensures that the tools do not wear out as quickly as where the rock seam is attacked in the normal frontal manner. The radially disposed cutting tools on the boom of the construction shown in FIG. 14, for instance, may be turned on the boom where the same are properly mounted thereon to achieve this effect, or the boom itself may turn in the manner disclosed in FIG. 14, so as to bring progressively more deeply into the rock layer the ends of the tools in question. This will deepen the scoring cut being made and by its very pressure, especially where a pressure tool such as a pressure wheel shown in FIG. 14 is used, achieve more effectively the break-up and removal of the rock. The tools used for this purpose can be the same or different from the tools used generally for extracting mineral in accordance with the remaining fea tures of the present invention as the artisan will appreciate.

Of course, the artisan will appreciate that each of the embodiments herein shown may be provided with constructional modifications to arrange the boom in downward, horizontal or upward disposition with respect to said lateral direction so as to achieve the break-up of hard rock layers in the manner shown in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 14. In each of these embodiments the inherent weight of the planar is of especial advantage for breaking up hard rock as well as for achieving a more pronounced cutting with the tools, as is more fully explained in connection with the statically unstable center of gravity concept.

It will be appreciated that the instant specification is set forth for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, and that changes and modifications will occur to the artisan which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, such invention being limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Mining planer movable longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for the extraction of mineral therefrom, which comprises longitudinally extending lower level base means, upper level cutting means, and adjustable securing means, said securing means positioning said cutting means adjustably on the upper portion of said base means in a normally outwardly extending direction operatively beyond said base means and substantially transversely lateral to the longitudinal direction of movement of the base means and cutting means for changing the transversely outward disposition of said cutting means with respect to an adjacent mine face to increase the range of transverse operative extractive engagement of said cutting means with the corresponding upper portion of such adjacent mine face above the level of the base means therebelow.

2. Planer according to claim 1 wherein said cutting means include elongated boom means having at least one cutting tool thereon.

3. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said base means are provided with slanting support means and said boom means is positioned by said securing means on said base means at least in part via said slanting support means, said boom means being .adjustably positioned in 21 normally upwardly and outwardly extending direction beyond said base means substantially lateral to the longitudinal direction of movement of the base means and boom means for changing the upward and outward disposition of said boom means with respect to such adjacent mine face to increase said range of operative extractive engagement of said at least one cutting tool on said boom means with the corresponding upper portion of such adjacent mine face above the level of the boom means therebelow.

4. Planer according to claim 3 wherein said slanting support means include a slanting support surface means extending in a direction corresponding to that of said boom means, and said boom means is mounted on said surface means.

5. Planer according to claim 4 wherein said securing means include pin means and cooperating pin receiving means arranged with respect to said surface means and said boom means for securing at least in part said boom means to said surface means in a plurality of different linearly extended upward and outward positions.

6. Planer according to claim 3 wherein said securing means include pressure fluid operative means having a first longitudinal part and a second longitudinal part telescopingly interconnected for linear displacement with respect to one another, said boom means being connected to one of said parts for displacement therewith to change the upward and outward disposition of said boom means, the other of said parts being connected to said base means.

7. Planer according to claim 6 wherein said operative means include a pressure fluid operative piston-cylinder arrangement having a piston element and a cylinder element, one of said elements being connected to said base means and the other of said elements being connected to said boom means for displacing said boom means upon actuation of said piston-cylinder arrangement to change the range of upward and outward disposition of said boom 23 means and in turn said at least one cutting tool, a throttle valve being provided in said arrangement to permit pressure fluid flow communication between the portion of said cylinder element on one operative side of said piston element and the portion of said cylinder element on the other side thereof upon the reaching of a predetermined pressure diiference between said cylinder element portions.

8. Planer according to claim 7 wherein said throttle valve is arranged operatively in said piston element for communicating the pressure fiuid in the cylinder element portion on one side thereof with the cylinder element portion on the other side thereof.

9. Planer according to claim 6 wherein said slanting support means include a slanting support surface means extending in a direction corresponding to that of said boom means, and said operative means include a pressure fluid operative piston-cylinder arrangement having a piston element and a cylinder element, one of said elements being mounted fixedly on said surface means in said lateral direction and the other of said elements being connected to said boom means for displacing linearly said boom means upon actuation of said piston cylinder arrangement to change the upward and outward disposition of said boom means and in turn said at least one cutting tool.

10. Planer according to claim 6 wherein said slanting support means include a slanting support surface means extending in a direction corresponding to that of said boom means, and said operative means include a pressure fluid operative piston-cylinder arrangement having a piston element and a cylinder element, one of said elements being mounted articulatingly on said base means and normally extending substantially in said longitudinal direction and the other of said elements being connected articulatingly to one end portion of said boo-m means, a pivotal cutter head carrying operatively said at least one cutting tool being mounted pivotally on the other end portion of said boom means for limited pivotal movement, said boom means being pivotally mounted between its end portions on said surface means at a remote point from the point of mounting of said one of said elements on said base means, whereby upon actuation of said piston-cylinder arrangement said elements are displaced linearly with respect to one another to change their overall effective length and in turn to cause said boom means to pivot about said remote point on said surface means for changing the range of upward and outward disposition of said boom means and in turn said cutter head with respect to such adjacent mine face.

11. Planer according to claim 10 wherein said boom means is positioned for pivotal displacement in a slanting plane slightly spaced from and parallel to the surface of said surface means with said cutter head having a peripheral range defined by an arc of a circle in said plane measured by an angle corresponding to the angle of maximum pivot of said boom means, said are and circle having a radius extending from the pivot point of said boom means on said surface means to said cutter head.

12. Planer according to claim 6 wherein said securing means include longitudinally extending pin means and cooperating pin receiving means, said slanting support means include a longitudinally extending laterally slanting support link having an upper connecting end and a lower connecting end, and said pressure fluid operative means include a pressure fluid operative piston-cylinder arrangement operatively extending-in said lateral direction and having a piston element and a cylinder ele ment, one of said elements being connected along a first axis in said longitudinal direction to the upper link end with the lower link end being connected to the upper portion of said base means along a second axis in said longitudinal direction parallel to said first axis, said one element being further connected to said upper portion of said base means via said pin means and pin receiving means along a third axis in said longitudinal direction parallel to said first and second axes and spaced from said first axis along said one element in said lateral direction, whereby said axes form the apexes of a triangle having its base extending substantially in said lateral direction between said second and third axes such that said slanting support link forms one of the sides of such triangle and said one element forms the other side of such triangle, and the other of said elements being connected to said boom means for displacing linearly said boom means upon actuation of said piston-cylinder arrangement to change the upward and outward dispo' sition of said boom means and in turn said at least one cutting tool.

13. Planer according to claim 12 wherein said link is provided at both said upper and lower link ends with a plurality of aligned spaced apart transversely outwardly extending ears, the ears at least at one of said link ends being provided with a plurality of parallel aligned channels extending therethrough in said longitudinal direction, wherein said upper portion of said base means and said one element each correspondingly is provided with a plurality of aligned spaced apart transversely outwardly extending cooperating ears, said cooperating ears of said base means and of said one element each being provided correspondingly with at least one aligned cooperating channel extending therethrough in said longitudinal direction, and wherein rod means are provided including a first rod interconnecting the lower link end ears and the base means cooperating ears via insertion through correspondingly aligned channels of said ears and cooperating ears along the corresponding said axis thereat and a second rod interconnecting the upper link end ears and said one element cooperating ears via insertion through correspondingly aligned channels of said ears and cooperating ears along the corresponding axis thereat.

14. Planer according to claim 13 wherein said pin receiving means are provided in the form of a corresponding plurality of aligned spaced apart transversely outwardly extending further cooperating ears on said base means upper portion and on said one element, said further cooperating ears of said base means and said further cooperating ears of said one element each being provided with at least one aligned further cooperating channel extending therethrough in said longitudinal direction, and wherein said pin means are provided in the form of a third rod interconnecting said further cooperating ears via said further cooperating channels through which said third rod is inserted along the corresponding third said axis.

15. Planer according to claim 14 wherein said link is removably mounted for exchange with another link having a different transverse length between the upper and lower ends thereof.

16. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said boom means is axially displaceable with respect to said base means in said lateral direction and rotatably mounted on said base means and wherein said boom means has cutting tools extending in offset radial direction with respect to one another at least at one axial point along said boom means whereby upon rotation of said boom means said tools in turn will come into engagement with the adjacent portion of a mine face throughout the range of axial displacement of said boom means.

17. Planer according to claim 16 wherein said cutting tools include atleast one cutting wheel rotatably mounted on said boom means in the vicinity of the free end of said boom means on an axis parallel to the axis of said boom means.

18. Planer according to claim 16 wherein said securing means include a pressure fluid operative pistoncylinder arrangement having a piston element and a cylinder element, one of said elements being mounted on said base means in said lateral direction and the other of said elements being connected to said boom means 25 for displacing linearly said boom means upon actuation of said piston-cylinder arrangement to change the outward disposition of said boom means and in turn said cutting tools.

19. Planer according to claim 18 wherein said other element is the piston and said piston is mounted on a piston rod extending through both ends of the cylinder, the piston, cylinder and piston rod all being of circular cross-section, one end of said piston rod forming said boom means and the opposite end of said piston rod having a worm gear means operatively connected therewith in any position of axial displacement of said boom means for rotating said piston rod and in turn said boom means and said cutting tools.

20. Planer according to claim 3 wherein said slanting support means is removably mounted on said base means for exchange with another slanting support means having a different angle of slant with the horizontal.

21. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said base means is also provided with cutting tools positioned at the corresponding longitudinal ends thereof for extractive engagement with the corresponding lower portion of the adjacent mine face below the level of the boom means thereabove.

22. Planer according to claim 21 wherein said base means is provided with a keel extending in a direction away from the side of the base means carrying the cutting tools, for underlying in stabilizing disposition a guide means extending horizontally along the mine face to maintain said base means and in turn said boom means in proper alignment with the mine face.

23. Planer according to claim 2 wherein a channel is defined longitudinally through the upper end portion of said base means for receiving slidably therethrough and retaining slidably therein the free return strand portion of the drive cable means in connection with which the planer is used to maintain said base means and in turn said boom means in proper alignment with the mine face.

24. Planer according to claim 2 wherein an elongated guide loop is defined on the upper side of said boom means for receiving slidably therethrough and retaining slidably therein the free return strand portion of the drive cable means in connection with which the planer is used to maintain said base means and in turn said boom means in proper alignment with the mine face.

25. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said base means includes a pair of longitudinally spaced apart lower base members adapted to be guided longitudinally along the mine floor, and an upper base member situated above and longitudinally between said lower base members and articulatedly connected to the correspondingly adjacent portion of each said lower base member, said boom means being positioned by said securing means onto said upper base member.

26. Planer according to claim 25 wherein said upper base member is positioned on said lower base members such that the center of gravity of said upper base member is displaced in said lateral direction toward the free end of said boom means and away from the normal center of gravity position of said lower base members.

27. Planer according to claim 26 wherein said upper base member in inclined forwardly in said lateral direction toward the free end of said boom means such that the upper end portion of said upper base member extends laterally beyond the corresponding portions of said lower members.

28. Planer according to claim 25 wherein one lower base member is provided with two pairs of medially and longitudinally extending parallel lugs in laterally spaced apart aligned disposition and the other lower base member is provided with on pair of medially and longitudinally extending parallel lugs, and wherein said upper base member is provided on its underside with a pair to correspondingly positioned fingers adjacent said two pairs of lugs and a single correspondingly positioned finger adjacent said one pair of lugs, said fingers and lugs being provided with corresponding apertures therethrough in said lateral direction, pins being inserted in said apertures, whereby each finger of said pair of fingers is correspondingly situated between the lugs of a respective pair of said two pairs of lugs of said one lower base member with a said pin being inserted through the corresponding apertures to form a hinge link between said one lower base member and said upper base member, while said single finger is correspondingly situated between the lugs of said pair of lugs of said other lower base member with a pin being inserted through the corresponding apertures to form a hinge link between said other lower base member and said upper base member.

29. Planer according to claim 28 wherein the two pairs of lugs on said one lower base member and said one pair of lugs on said other lower base member are laterally disposed in spaced apart aligned relation so that upon removal of said pins and in turn said upper base member, said lower base members may be hingedly interconnected via one of said pins inserted through the aligned apertures of said lugs.

30. Planer according to claim 29 wherein said apertures in said lugs and in said fingers are longitudinally extendingslots which are transversely wider than the diameter of said pins whereby to permit limited play between the interconnected upper base member and said lower base members in the longitudinal and transverse directions.

31. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said boom means is pivotally secured at a pivot point thereon via said securing means to the upper portion of said base means, and a longitudinally extending linear connecting means having an operatively efiective connecting length between a pair of spaced apart linear points thereon is situated on said base means and connected thereto at one said linear point thereon and connected to said boom means at the other said linear point thereon, said linear points being spaced from said pivot point as well as from each other.

32. Planer according to claim 31 wherein said linear connecting means is connected at said linear points to said base means and boom means respectively by pin means and cooperating pin receiving means.

33. Planer according to claim 32 wherein said linear connecting means is adjustable in operative effective length whereby to change the linear spaced apart distance between said linear points and in turn the pivotal position of said boom means about said pivot point.

34. Planer according to claim 32 wherein the axis of the pin means at each said linear point and the axis of said pivot point are parallel to one another and extend in said longitudinal direction whereby to form the apexes of a triangle situated substantially in a transverse vertical plane extending in said direction.

35. Planer according to claim 34 wherein said linear connecting means is replaceably mounted for exchange with another linear connecting means having a different operatively effective connecting length.

36. Planer according to claim 34 wherein said base means includes more than one superimposed base connectors interconnectedly arranged to increase the operative range of the upper portion of said base means and in turn said boom means, and said base means is provided with a keel extending in a direction away from said at least one cutting tool, for underlying in stabilized disposition a guide means extending horizontally along the mine face to maintain said base means and in turn said boom means in proper alignment with the mine face.

37. Planer according to claim 36 wherein said base means includes a pair of longitudinally spaced apart lower base members each having one said keel, said lower base members being adapted to be guided longitudinally along the mine floor with said keels underlying a guide means in connection with which said planer may be used, and

an upper base member situated operatively above and at least in part longitudinally between said lower base members and articulatedly connected to the correspondingly adjacent upper portion of each said lower base member, said upper base member including said base connectors at least in part and said boom means being positioned by said securing means onto said upper base member.

38. Mining planer movable longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for extraction of mineral therefrom, which comprises base means having cutting tool means thereon operatively positioned in one direction and adapted to extend in said direction into extractive engagement with the mine face, said base means having a normal and independent statically unstable center of gravity at a point thereon above the mine floor with a self-generated resultant imbalance force constantly urging said base means and in turn said tool means substantially in said direction toward the mine face for more effective tool means engagement therewith.

39. Planer according to claim 38 wherein said base means includes a pair of longitudinally spaced apart lower base members adapted to be guided longitudinally along the mine floor, and an upper base member situated above and longitudinally between said lower base members and articulatedly connected to the correspondingly adjacent portion of each said lower base member, said upper base member having cutting tools thereon operatively positioned in said direction and a center of gravity forward in said direction beyond that of the resultant center of gravity of said lower base members, the upper base member center of gravity being statically unstable with a resultant imbalance force constantly urging said upper base member in said direction toward the mine face for more efiective cutting tool engagement therewith.

40. Planer according to claim 39 wherein said upper base member normally tilts in said direction beyond the forward most edge of said lower base members to assure such imbalance.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,630,050 8/1927 Morgan 299-32 1,710,887 4/1929 Morgan 299-32 X 2,389,920 11/1945 Mavor 299-32 2,577,924 12/ 1 Shacikoski 299-34 2,592,358 4/1952 Tutwiler 299-34 2,745,651 5/ 1956 Herrmann 299-34 3,178,229 4/1965 Lobbe 299-34 FOREIGN PATENTS 899,944 6/ 1962 Great Britain.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primaly Examiner. 

1. MINING PLANER MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY BACK AND FORTH ALONG A MINE FACE FOR THE EXTRACTION OF MINERAL THEREFROM, WHICH COMPRISES LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LOWER LEVEL BASE MEANS, UPPER LEVEL CUTTING MEANS, AND ADJUSTABLE SECURING MEANS, SAID SECURING MEANS POSITIONING SAID CUTTING MEANS ADJUSTABLY ON THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BASE MEANS IN A NORMALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDING DIRECTION OPERATIVELY BEYOND SAID BASE MEANS AND SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY LATERAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF MOVE- 